Thunder jump out early, hang on to beat Grizzlies

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Style points don't matter in the NBA playoffs. It's all about getting wins and moving on.

So, despite watching a huge lead dwindle down to a single basket, Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks is pleased his team was able to hold on and beat the Memphis Grizzlies 100-86 Saturday at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.

The victory gives the Thunder a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven first round series.

"Winning is all that matters," Brooks said. "The first team to four. We are up 1-0. We will learn from it then turn the page and focus on game two."

Memphis will also quickly turn the page as they know they let the game get away from them in the first half. But with 8:44 left in the fourth quarter, Oklahoma City's 25-point lead had been erased.

Memphis was down by just two and had momentum squarely on its side after guard Mike Miller drained a 3-pointer.

But, after using up a vast amount of energy to get back into the contest, the Grizzlies didn't have enough left in the tank to climb over the hill and take the lead.

Right before Miller's 3-pointer, the tide had actually begun to shift when Thunder forward Caron Butler drove from the wing and threw down a dunk that had the entire Oklahoma City bench on its feet.

"Caron's Dunks probably surprised 18,203 fans, the players and coaching staff," Brooks said. "It gave us a spark. At that point we were bending a little bit but we didn't break."

Behind the offensive wizardry of forward Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City outscored Memphis 26-13 down the stretch to close the night out.

"We just came out with the right mindset, started on the defensive end," center Kendrick Perkins said. "We did a good job playing physical."

The opening quarter was a Westbrook highlight film. From breakaway layups to half-court passes, he came out attacking on every offensive possession.

Westbrook ended the period with 12 points, four rebounds and two assists as Oklahoma City held a 29-16 advantage.

Oklahoma City quickly pushed its lead to 21 points as it ran off every shot the Grizzlies missed.

Whether it was Westbrook, backup point guard Reggie Jackson or Durant leading the break, Memphis couldn't keep up. The Thunder outscored the Grizzlies 21-6 in fast-break points in the first half as they held a 56-34 lead.

"Obviously we're disappointed," Conley said. "We were embarrassed in the first half. We've gotta learn from the tape."

Memphis didn't panic. It came out in the third and slowed the game down. With the Thunder shots no longer falling, the Grizzlies closed to within nine midway through the period.

"As a point guard, my job is to set the tone," Westbrook said. "And I didn't do a great job of that to start the third quarter. We never broke, we did a great job staying together."

Conley led the charge, and guard Tony Allen harassed Durant all over the court and didn't allow him any clean looks at the basket. Durant was held to three points on five shot attempts in the period.

Memphis outscored Oklahoma City 31-13 and closed the gap to 69-65 heading into the fourth quarter.

"They hit us pretty hard in that third," Durant said. "We knew we were going to have to through something like that in the playoffs. And it happened in the first game. The fans meant a lot to us. We play all year to have home court. They gave us a lot of energy when were a little lax."

NOTES: The NBA suspended Memphis G Nick Calathes 20 games for violating the NBA's drug policy. Memphis coach Dave Joerger wouldn't dwell on the subject. "We've had a lot of adversity all season long and now we've got to step up our games," Joerger said. "It's an NBA deal and that's where we have to leave it." ... Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks had an easy solution for handling the pressure of the postseason. "My philosophy of pressure is I think the pressure you have on yourself is just to play as hard as you can," Brooks said. "And play for your team."